Introduction

The Freebuilders wiki is intended to provide an overview of the server in a clear and concise manner.

If you have questions that are not addressed in the following sections, please feel free to chat with us on Discord.

General

Freebuilders is a gaming community in which mature gamers enjoy vanilla Minecraft. We take special care to make sure the experience of playing on the server is fun, easy, and relaxing. In our opinion, details matter in a Minecraft experience. Freebuilders is meant to be an attractive escape from day-to-day life.

Our server host is DeluxeNode. The server currently runs on a 4GB virtual machine and costs $8 a month. It is based in EU, though we've found the ping for US and AS players to be pretty good as well.

As far as the community itself goes, Freebuilders has been around for the better part of 5 years. It started off as a creative server designed for a class of high schoolers in Pennsylvania. It has since evolved into what players like to call a "quality survival experience." The community includes many longtime members and is run by stable staff who have the intention of keeping the server up for as long as possible. Our latest map reset occurred on July 18th, 2018.

New Players

If you are a new player looking to find a home on Freebuilders, please read this thread. It covers topics such as joining towns, server etiquette, and placing one block on top of the next.

Rules

Here is an in-depth explanation of our rules:

1. No griefing or raiding.

a) This is a mature server, with a focus on building. Ruining the experience of others, whether it be through taking their items or destroying their builds is never okay.

b) Pranks are allowed on the server, but please keep them to a reasonable standard. It's also important to think about whether the other person would appreciate or welcome the prank before actually doing it.

2. Be friendly in the chat--no advertising, swearing, etc.

Though this is a mature server, we like to keep our chat clean and make sure that both young and old feel welcomed in-game. Writing negative or hurtful things towards other players is not acceptable. If we discover that harassment of any of our players is happening, we will confront the offender promptly.

3. Don't build one block towers or ruin landscapes.

Please keep the world clean and limited to quality builds.

4. No hacks/mods.

We work hard to ensure that gameplay is fair amongst all members. Thus, mods, hacks and texture packs that give players an unfair advantage (such as fast placers, speed hacks or X-ray packs) are strictly prohibited. To avoid specific questions in the future, a list of allowed mods is shown below.

It is important to realize that there is a person at the end of every Minecraft username. And that person just wants to enjoy the game too.

6. Build at least 20 blocks away from others.

This gives other players the space to expand when they get the chance.

7. Use the Discord to stay updated: discord.freebuilders.org.

The Discord is an essential source of information. We feature server news, updates, and social features on it. Simply put, every player should use the Discord regularly.

Building Committee

The server has a building committee that takes care of abandoned buildings and ravaged landscapes.

Committee members:

mrlaurent

vistajames

mixr

Salopian

LoneGolurk

Rules regarding abandoned builds and the building committee:

Builds from banned players or those that have been inactive for 3+ months are considered abandoned.

Builds are regularly checked by the building committee.

If the build is not considered worth preserving due to an extremely unfinished state or the lack of quality it will be marked
for demolition. If we can recover the name of the owner your stuff will be stored in the community storage (-209, 187) by name. If we can't get your name (pre 1.11) your stuff will be stored in the community storage where it will be reused in community collabs.

Builds that are abandoned and considered quality builds will not be demolished. If we can find valuables those will be stored in the community storage for safety if we can find your name. Whatever land claim the owners had will not be upheld. Server rules apply (20 block buffer zone).

Abandoned quality builds are not allowed to be altered without permission from the staff (moderators or admins). You can ask for permission to finish a build, use it as part of your base or to continue a city/settlement. You're not allowed to remove valuable structures, you're also not allowed to take anything from chests until you get permission to do so from a mod or admin.

Naturally players have the right to reclaim their builds (if not taken) and items if they return. If we couldn't trace your name we can compensate you somewhat with items from the community storage.

How to ask for permission:

Notify a committee member you found an abandoned build you want to develop.

We will check the building.

Present us your plan of what you want to do with it.

What can you do to prevent losing your build(s) and stuff:

Sign your builds!

Keep builds high quality.

If you leave for more than 3+ months, but are planning on returning, please notify us.

Whitelisting

We use a system called "whitelisting" to screen people before they are allowed to log on to the server. To apply, simply click the link in the sidebar.

Appealing a Ban

So you've gone ahead and gotten yourself banned?

Not to worry, you can consider what you did wrong and try to appeal to get back on the server. Here's the process for appealing.

1. Create a post with the following title: "Ban Appeal: <Your IGN>"

2. Answer the following questions--just copy and paste them into the post:

1. What is your Minecraft name?
2. What was the date of your ban?
3. Why do you think you were banned? ("idk" is NOT an appropriate answer)
4. Why do you want to be unbanned?

3. Wait on a community response. If the community wants you back on the server, we will unban you and give you a second chance.

Vote

Voting helps support the server by advertising it on server lists. We utilize a plugin called Votifier to integrate voting with an in-game reward--voting will give you a free spin on the lottery.

The second way to donate is through buying server merchandise. We have a Spreadshirt store that sells products (t-shirts, buttons, and the like) with our logos on them. Players have ordered from the store before, and have mentioned that the quality is excellent.

Communication

Discord: Discord is a way to talk with other players from Freebuilders. To join us, simply follow this link.

Other Projects

One of the great things about Freebuilders is that we don't limit our creativity to things inside the game of Minecraft. Instead, we use the server as a means for other forms of artistic expression. Here are some things we've done.

Writing: We had a challenge that asked players to write poems about the server. We got plenty of admirable responses. In a similar fashion, we had players write lore--a story of the server's history. Again, we received great submissions.

Magazine: We are in the process of releasing a magazine that talks about the server news. You can view its progress here.

Podcasts: We have run a podcast in the past to discuss the goings-on of the server and to interview our players. There is a list of our podcasts available on Soundcloud.

Youtube: Our YouTube channel features Let's Plays of the game and the odd Music compilation on the Piano now and again.

Wikia: The wikia is a collection of user generated content about the server. There is artwork, stories, and history within.

Staff

Cyanide_ - Cyanide_ founded Freebuilders in his junior year of high school. He is currently at university at UNCA and is studying computer science. He is the owner of the server.